Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Monday 18 October 1999

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive why Scottish farmers wishing to convert to organic farming have access only to a telephone advice service, given that in England and Wales farmers receive advice in the form of one full day and one half day visit.

Mr John Home Robertson: Detailed advice for Scottish farmers wishing to convert to organic farming is available from a wide range of sources, including the Scottish Agricultural College Advisory Services. The initial telephone contact funded by the Department at SAC is intended to enable farmers to be directed towards the most suitable sources of advice for their particular needs. This may include relevant literature being sent to the farmer free of charge or a recommendation to have an individual on-farm visit, although farmers are expected to pay for the visits. Where the advice is of direct commercial benefit for individual farmers’ businesses, it is considered appropriate for them to be charged for it, as they would be if they sought such advice from private consultants. In addition, SAC is funded by the Department to hold organic farming awareness meetings and demonstrations for farmers and crofters.

Co-operative Enterprise

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in hand to promote the key attributes of co-operative business development.

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to incorporate work on co-operative enterprise development as part of its approach to Social Inclusion

Ms Wendy Alexander: We recognise the value that the social economy can play in regenerating communities and tackling social exclusion. In our efforts to strengthen the social economy we are encouraging Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise to offer support and advice to social and community based enterprises as well as to mainstream business. My Ministerial colleague, Henry McLeish will ask Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise to contact Ms Eadie with a view to discussing the issue of co-operatives in the context of business development.

Fisheries

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive for how many years Scottish courts have dealt exclusively with fishing industry prosecutions in the sea covered by the Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundaries Order.

Mr John Home Robertson: It remains the case that the overwhelming majority of sea fisheries legislation allows for prosecutions to be taken at any court in the United Kingdom. Scottish courts have not dealt exclusively with prosecutions for alleged fishing offences which occur in the Scottish zone of British fishery limits.

  No prosecutions have been made in any court during the last 5 years relating to offences in the area between the newly established Scottish zone and 55º 48º north latitude.

Health

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive , further to the answer to question S1W-1053 by Susan Deacon on 6 September, whether it will seek a copy of the Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust working group report on the Stracathro Hospital Services and comment on it.

Susan Deacon: No. Tayside Health Board indicates that the report has been overtaken by the work in hand as part of the review of acute services which is currently underway in Tayside.

Health

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current staffing levels are at Stracathro Hospital, Angus and what they were for each of the past five years.

Susan Deacon: I refer Mr Welsh to my answer to his question S1O–297 on 16 September 1999.

Health

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current waiting list is for small surgery at Stracathro Hospital, Angus, and Ninewells Hospital, Dundee.

Susan Deacon: Waiting list information is collated by speciality. I understand from Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust that there are 160 patients on the surgical day case waiting list at Stracathro Hospital and 186 patients at Ninewells.

Sport

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the expenditure on external contracts for public relations and lobbying activities by  sportscotland for each of the past two years and its budgets for these activities for the current financial year.

Rhona Brankin: The information requested is set out below.

  1997-98 £7,000

  1998-99 £20,000

  1999-2000 £14,000 (budget)

Task Forces

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many task forces it has initiated since July 1999, what their remits are, and who are the members of these task forces.

Mr Jack McConnell: Details of the task forces initiated since July 1999 are below. Arrangements are being made to place this information in SPICe, and to update it on a six-monthly basis. Similar information will also be provided for policy reviews and consultation exercises.

  (1) The Homelessness Task Force

  Remit

  To review the causes and nature of homelessness in Scotland; to examine current practice in dealing with cases of homelessness; and to make recommendations on how homelessness in Scotland can best be prevented and, where it does occur, tackled effectively.

Membership: Title 


Name 




Ms 

  

Jackie Baillie, Deputy 

  Minister for Communities 

  



Cllr 

  

Rita Miller, Convener of Community Services, 

  South Ayrshire Council (CoSLA) 

  



Mr 

  

Mark Turley, Director 

  of Housing, Edinburgh City Council (CoSLA) 

  



Cllr 

  

Robert Aldridge, Director, 

  Scottish Council for Single Homeless 

  



Ms 

  

Liz Nicolson, Director, 

  Shelter Scotland 

  



Ms 

  

Margaret Taylor, Director, 

  Glasgow Council for Single Homeless 

  



Mr 

  

Mel Young, Director, 

  The Big Issue in Scotland 

  



Mr 

  

David Orr, Director, 

  Scottish Federation of Housing Associations 

  



Ms 

  

Pat Bagot, Policy 

  and Practice Manager, Scottish Homes 

  



Ms 

  

Suzanne Fitzpatrick, 

  Department of Urban Studies, Glasgow University 

  



Mr 

  

David Belfall, Head 

  of Group, Development Department, Scottish Executive 

  



  (2) Poverty and Inclusion Task ForceS

  Remit

  To promote the development and implementation of effective, integrated policies and programmes to promote social inclusion in Scotland, and to report progress to the Cabinet at regular intervals.

Membership: Title 


Name 




Ms 

  

Wendy Alexander MSP, 

  Minister for Communities 

  



Mr 

  

Sam Galbraith MP MSP, 

  Minister for Children and Education 

  



Mr 

  

Henry McLeish MP MSP, 

  Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning 

  



Mr 

  

Jack McConnell MSP, 

  Minister for Finance 

  



Ms 

  

Susan Deacon MSP, 

  Minister for Health and Community Care 

  



Mr 

  

Ross Finnie MSP, Minister 

  for Rural Affairs 

  



Ms 

  

Jackie Baillie MSP, 

  Deputy Minister for Communities 

  



Mr 

  

Kenneth MacKenzie, 

  Head of the Scottish Executive Development Department 

  



Mr 

  

David Belfall, Head 

  of Housing and Area Regeneration Group, SEDD 

  



Mrs 

  

Gillian Stewart, Head 

  of the Children and Young People Group, SEED 

  



Dr 

  

Andrew Goudie, Chief 

  Economic Adviser 

  



Ms 

  

Linda Rosborough, 

  Head of Social Inclusion Division 

  



Mr 

  

Brian Fitzpatrick, 

  Policy Unit 

  



Mr 

  

John McLaren, Policy 

  Unit 

  



Prof. 

  

Duncan McLennan, Policy 

  Unit 

  



  S This task force was initiated on 28 June but held its first meeting on 30 July.

Transport

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hours drivers and passengers on Scotland’s roads lost because of congestion in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Sarah Boyack: The information requested is not held centrally.